Thousands of matric pupils to rewrite leaked exam paper in Limpopo
A total of 17‚500 full time and part-time Matric learners in the Vhembe district in Limpopo will have to rewrite both the first and second paper of Life Sciences after it emerged that both question papers had been leaked.
On Thursday the Basic Education Department said the decision was taken after it was confirmed that a copy of the 2015 National Senior Certificate examination paper was circulated amongst some learners before the commencement of the examination.
Spokesperson Elijar Mhlanga said on November 16 the department had received a tip-off that the Life Sciences Paper 2 had been leaked‚ saying the department was able to verify the information received and confirm that the question paper provided was in fact the official question paper.
“The (department) immediately established an investigation team comprising the South African Qualifications Authority‚ University South Africa‚ Umalusi and the DBE and the investigation in the province has covered much ground. A criminal investigation was also initiated‚ as the NSC examinations are protected through legislation‚” Mhlanga said.
He said the matter had been reported to the SAPS and a criminal case was opened at the Thoyoyondou Police Station.
To date the investigations have revealed the following: • The leakage is confined to the five circuits in the Vhembe district and five learners in Gauteng and two learners in Mpumalanga. • At this stage it appears that Life Sciences Paper 1 and Life Sciences Paper 2 were shared with the implicated learners in the Vhembe district; in the main via social media application WhatsApp. • The learners in Gauteng and Mpumalanga had access to Life Sciences Paper 2 only and confined to a small number of learners who will be dealt with on an individual basis.
Rewrite dates will be communicated directly to the affected learners. The rewrite covers the whole district‚ so that schools that might not have emerged during the preliminary investigations but which are also tainted‚ will be taken care of.
“The (department) hopes to send out a clear message to learners and schools about the consequences of such malpractices. The (department) is aware that some learners who did not cheat will have to rewrite the examinations; however this is the unfortunate consequence which is vital in maintaining the credibility of‚” Mhlanga said.
He said the police elite unit Hawks had now taken over the investigation covering the three provinces implicated. He said investigations were ongoing and the devices of learners in some cases had been confiscated by police for further forensic investigation.
Mhlanga added that the department did not take this incident lightly and hoped to send out a strong message to learners‚ teachers and officials that cheating in the examinations would not be tolerated‚ saying it was only through hard work and diligent study that good results would be achieved.
